WSU hockey ends season against Boise State

Senior Phill Jennrich playing in the Wildcats’ final home game of the season. Jennrich scored the first goal of the game for WSU in the loss to Boise State. (Ariana Berkemeier / The Signpost )

The Weber State University club hockey team saw their season come to an end on Saturday, falling to Boise State University 3-2 in the first round of the regional playoffs.

After a scoreless game through the first half of the first period, the Wildcats scored first with a shot from senior right wing Phill Jennrich.

“It wasn’t a bad game,” said defender Jake Webber. “I think it went well. We scored first and we kept getting some lucky bounces that kept Boise on their toes.”

During the start of the second period however, Weber couldn’t keep Boise’s offense from tying up the game. From that point on, Boise kept the lead.

“We had a large group of injuries,” said head coach Clay Hobbs. “We had most of our experienced forwards and defensemen out for the game, and that really messed us up. We kept turning the puck over and they would score. We didn’t have the power out there to turn the game over, but we did our best.”

Though the team did suffer a large amount of injuries, the players aren’t using that as a crutch.

“People get hurt,” said Webber. “It happens. Part of athletics is learning how to deal with it and still come out on top. Injuries, especially in hockey are part of the game and you can’t blame getting them for losing.”

The loss marks the end of the careers of seniors Jesse Love, Curtis Snowball, and Phill Jennrich.

“I’ll always play hockey,” Jennrich said. “Even if it’s just a beer league or my kids playing, I’ll always have hockey in my life to share with my friends and family.”

With the team done for the year, Hobbs is already starting preparations for next season.

“Our plans are simple,” he said. “We need to get everyone back and we have already started recruiting. We’re looking at a lot of kids who will be starting college for the first time and we want to make sure we have a strong enough team next year that when injuries do happen we’ll be prepared for them.”

The team will be doing informal practices during the off-season in order to stay focused on school without letting themselves get out of shape

“We want to hit next season hard,” said Webber. “Next season will be much better. Our large group of freshmen will have one year under their belt. We wont worry about losing a coach, and we’ll know how to work more as a unit.”

The Weber State University sports clubs are a diverse and adventurous bunch, with activities ranging from fencing to archery to snowboarding, ensuring every student has an opportunity to find their […]